Canada pushes economic ties with ASEAN

Canadian Minister of International Trade Ed Fast on August 20
underscored the role of the Canada-ASEAN Business Community (CABC) in
fostering bilateral trade and investment.

Attending the
second ASEAN-Canada Economic Ministers’ Meeting and the 10th ASEAN
Business and Investment Summit on the fringe of the 45 th ASEAN
Economic Ministers’ Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei between
August 20-23, Minister Ed Fast said ASEAN member nations are offering
Canadian companies big chances to boost exports.

The CABC is
working with the State and private sectors to define opportunties and
help Canadian firms do business in the bloc, he added.

The
minister also mentioned his Government’s efforts to support domestic
businesses’ operations in Southeast Asia, including the opening of a new
trade office in Myanmar.

The embassies and consulates
of Canada in ASEAN member states are willing to provide new and
in-depth specialist reports as well as valuable information about the
ASEAN markets in various realms, he said.

ASEAN is now the
seventh largest trade partner of Canada, with its exports to the
region hitting 5 billion USD last year, up 15 percent from 2010.